I am convinced that what many people have defined as ‘prayer’ is one of the biggest idols and hindrances to seeing the Kingdom of God advance and be demonstrated in the church today.

People seem to get so tweaked out when I mention the fact that Jesus never emphasized many of the things that are so heavily emphasized in churches today, but the undeniable reality is that much of what is taught in our churches on the subject of ‘prayer’ and many other topics for that matter is actually the complete polar opposite of what Jesus taught.

On the subject of prayer specifically, not only is it the polar opposite, but it is something He specifically instructed people NOT to do!

Do I believe we should pray? Of course!

Do I believe there are right and wrong ways to do it? Absolutely!

How can I say that? Because Jesus did!

 

Have you ever noticed that before Jesus taught how TO pray, He had to first rebuke and shut down the bad mindsets that the Pharisees and religious leaders of the day had created about “prayer”?

Here are some passages of Scripture that you probably won’t hear taught much from pulpits because it so blatantly exposes things that occur and are encouraged in churches all over the world every day:

“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues (church buildings of the day) and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.”

- Matthew 6:5 (NIV)

So the first thing Jesus mentions on the topic of prayer in the Sermon on the Mount is what NOT to do.

That’s interesting seeing as so many people are so against the notion of preaching against bad mindsets because we “don’t want to be known for what we’re against, we want to be known what we are for”.

I agree with that sentiment.  But the reality is that if you are for something, you also have to be against the opposite of what you are for.

If I am “for” love, that must mean I am “against” hate.  If I am “for” freedom”, that must mean that I am also “against” bondage.

If I am “for” right ways to pray, that must mean I am “against” wrong ways to pray.

Again, how can I say that there are right and wrong ways to do it?  Because Jesus did.  He clearly outlined the characteristics of wrong ways to pray…and one of the first qualities of that was often exhibited by the religious elite of His day — those hypocrites LOVED to pray.  Check out the Message translation of the above verse:

“And when you come before God, don’t turn that into a theatrical production either. All these people making a regular show out of their prayers, hoping for stardom! Do you think God sits in a box seat?”

- Matthew 6:5 (MSG)

Sound familiar?

Ever been to one of those (zillions of) prayer meetings where everybody is jumping on the microphone shouting their prayers at God, trying to get Him to do something?  I know that I’ve been to more than I can count.

It’s not a new practice. It’s something that was going on even in Jesus’ day with the Pharisees and teachers of the law who thought they were earning brownie points from God with all of their prayer meetings.

This is the mindset I am addressing.  The very same one Jesus had to address in His day because there was so much nonsense being paraded around and called “prayer” when it was little more than human performance trying to earn something from God.

Let’s keep looking at what Jesus said:

“But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

- Matthew 6:6 (NIV)

 

“Here’s what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.”

- Matthew 6:6 (MSG)

Here Jesus clearly draws a line in the sand between what God is looking for and what the religious elite of the day had been perpetuating.  Have you ever been in those kinds of meetings where a bunch of people around you are praying loudly or with a lot of eloquent, perfect-sounding speech and you felt guilty or condemned because you had this thought go through your head:

“You’ll never be able to pray as well as them…listen to how holy they are…listen to how well they can pray…you can never measure up to that standard, etc…”

I’m here to tell you point blank that is the voice of the devil and his entire goal is to get you to try and perform in prayer or for God to try and earn something instead of learning to rest in the grace that God has for us.

That is what Jesus was addressing. The religious elite of His day had turned prayer into a show for those who were watching. It is the same today.

Let me state once again, I am NOT saying “don’t pray”!

What I am saying, is that your prayer life is something that should be between you and God in the same way that the intimacy you have with your spouse is between you and them.  Can you imagine what it would do to your relationship with your spouse if you started broadcasting all the details of your intimate conversations to everyone in your church?

That is what Jesus was talking about.  Don’t be duped into letting your prayer life be on public display for all to see.

Have you ever wondered why there are so many prayer meetings and yet seemingly so few actual answered prayers?

It’s because of this.  Jesus said clearly: “…they have received their reward in full”.

Let’s keep going.

“And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Therefore do not be like them, for your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.”

- Matthew 6:7-8 (NKJV)

 

“The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant.  They’re full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. Don’t fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need.”

- Matthew 6:7-8 (MSG)

So here Jesus states that it is the heathen, the pagans, the people of the world, who pray with ‘vain repetitions’ and think they are ‘prayer warriors’.  Meaning, repeating the same phrases over and over, ‘bombarding the gates of heaven’, thinking that it will get them better results.

Jesus clearly says to NOT do this, because our Father in heaven already knows what we have need of even before we pray!

How people can think this isn’t incredibly good news is absolutely beyond me.

The only time that people don’t think this is good news is when they legitimately believe that they need to convince God to do everything and that without all their important prayer meetings, the world would fall apart.

Colossians 1:17 says that Jesus holds all things together, not all of the so-called ‘prayer’ meetings that happen around the world every day.

What this really boils down to, friends, is that much of what has been called ‘prayer’ today, is not prayer that pleases God.  Much of what is called ‘prayer’ today is more along the lines of the prayers of the religious hypocrites and pagans of Jesus’ day.

It denies the work of and words of Christ openly, defiantly, and plainly.  It is undeniable when one looks at the verses above.

Jesus then goes on in the passage to talk about a simple way to pray — where your focus is on God and who He is, trusting in His faithfulness instead of our ability to work really hard at trying to stay faithful.

You are now probably wondering, “Okay, what next?”

Listen to this free audio series called “A Better Way to Pray”. 

I promise you that it will change your life completely if you listen to it and put it into practice.  You will start seeing that your prayers are answered much faster, and with a lot less stress and work on your part.

Here are some video clips:

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A Better Way to Pray (Part 1):

A Better Way to Pray (Part 2):

A Better Way to Pray (Part 3):

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Also, if you are wondering what many ask — about 2 Chronicles 7:14, please go here and here.

Your life will never be the same. Be blessed and be free!

 

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